And just 11 percent of major accidents occurred while cruising - which takes up the majority of flight time.

But if you’re in a crash (which is exceedingly unlikely), there are ways to protect yourself.

Sun Online Travel previously spoke to Christine Negroni, author of The Crash Detectives: Investigating the World's Most Mysterious Air Disasters the world’s most mysterious air disasters - and here are a selection of her tips to avoid dying in a plane crash…

Avoid cheap airlines

Try to avoid airlines from countries that are lightly regulated, as their mechanics, controllers and inspectors are not likely to be as well funded.

You get what you pay for in aviation and people who pay the low fares have to understand that cheap tickets mean that airline is undercutting – they have to pay for fuel, employees and maintenance just like every other company, so what is being cut?

This rule doesn’t apply to no-frills carriers like Ryanair, as they are making their money elsewhere by charging for things like luggage.

Listen to the safety briefing

In an emergency situation, many people go through a type of paralysis called negative panic where they’re frightened but don’t do anything, so they look around to see what others are doing.

If no one has paid attention during the safety briefing then you get a cascading problem of passengers who remain in their seats when they should get up, or who leave their seats back so the person behind can’t get out.

Don’t take your sleeping tablet until after the seatbelt signs are off

A plane is a safe method of transportation, so if you’re on an eight hour flight and have to function the next day, I say take the sleeping pill.

But make sure you’ve listened to the pre-flight briefing, seen where your nearest exit is, and noticed the age and weight of your neighbour first.